The present invention relates to clip assemblies that retain cables, such as coaxial cables, against a mounting surface.
Clips for retaining cables against a mounting surface are known in the art. Typically such clips are used to retain television or telephone cables against a mounting surface such as a floor, a wall, or a roof surface. The clip is generally attached by driving a nail through a hole in the clip and into the mounting surface.
In the prior art, clips typically are made from plastic or a deformable metal. As a result, such clips are susceptible to being damaged and chipped as a result of the hammering required to drive the nail into the mounting surface to retain the cable thereto. In addition, the cable itself may be damaged by the hammer's blow.
In an attempt to overcome some of these problems, some cable clips use threaded screws to hold the clip to the mounting surface, thereby avoiding the need to hammer. While the use of screws reduces the likelihood that the cable clip or cable will be damaged by a hammer, the use of screws presents a different set of potential problems. For example, when the screw enters the mounting surface, torque must be applied in order to screw the screw into the mounting surface. Further, the screw threads typically remain in frictional contact with the cable clip, thereby necessitating the use of additional torque to continue to turn the screw. The frictional forces between the threaded screw and the clip also can cause the clip to bend or deform as the screw is turned. Such a deformation of the clip can weaken or damage the clip, and possibly damage the cable being mounted to the mounting surface.